1 BELOVED, believe not every pretender to inspiration, but bring these spirits to the trial whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone forth into the world.
2 By this ye know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesseth that Jesus the Messiah is come in the flesh, is from God.
3 And every spirit who confesseth not that Jesus the Messiah is come into the world, is not from God: and this is that spirit of antichrist which ye have heard that it is coming, and now is already in the world.
4 Ye are of God, my dear children, and have overcome them; because he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world, therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.
7 Beloved, let us love one another; because love is from God, and every one who loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not, never knew God; for God is love.
9 By this was the love of God manifested to us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might have life by him.
10 Herein is love, not that we have loved God, but that he hath loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his own Spirit.
14 And we have seen and bear testimony, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love which God hath towards us. God is love; and he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him.
17 By this is his love towards us perfected, that we might have confidence at the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 Fear is not in this love; but the perfect love casteth out fear: for fear hath anguish. He that is afraid is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.